ITF Gaming’s Best of 2013: Best HD Remake

HD Remakes have become the next best substitute for backwards compatibility. Ranging from the old Prince of Persia games (the Red Orb Entertainment original, and later the Ubisoft classics) to the illustrious Kingdom Hearts franchise, gamers have (if often begrudgingly) accepted these remastered versions into their homes, hoping they don’t contain a CGI-implanted Hayden Christensen or a changed order of gunshots. Below, you’ll find which HD Remake best fit the nostalgia from our old PlayStation 2, 1, or even Nintendo consoles.

Darryl: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD
For those of you who have a Nintendo Wii U, you will be pleased to know that The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD is by far one of the best HD remakes you will ever experience on Nintendo’s Wii U (Well, in my opinion that is). With beautiful remastered graphics, unique gameplay as well as a host of familiar characters… what more could you ask for? Let’s just hope that Nintendo keeps on creating quality HD remakes like this in the future.
Brady: Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD RemiXIf I remember correctly, there have only been about two HD Remakes in 2013 that really stood out. The one that stood out the most however was Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD RemiX. The HD makeover it received was great and also contained some content never before seen outside of Japan. The game plays rather well and doesn’t show its age too much, which are good traits for an HD Remake to have.

Bracken: Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD RemiXTo be fair, I missed the original Kingdom Hearts on PS2, but from numerous HD comparisons, I’ve gotten the gist of it. Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD RemiX looked great, considering the original games’ age, played quite well, and included 3 of the original Kingdom Hearts experiences – albeit with one as a collection of cutscenes. Additionally, these versions were the remastered Final Cut versions, which largely only released in Japan, meaning that the HD RemiX was the first time a lot of content was seen, even for seasoned fans.
Michael: Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD RemiXKingdom Hearts was probably the most memorable childhood title for me, and the HD Remix truly pays homage to the original. While the style of the graphics remain largely unaltered they are, as expected of an HD remix, better. The title also introduced new content that most of us in the Western world had never seen before. For making a great game even better, it has my vote.